Improvement in corn-harvesters



M. 6L W. P. BALES= Corn Harvester.

Patented Jan. v26, 1869.

aaai e den MSE'S BAL ES WILLIAM P. BALES, 0F LONDON, OHIO.

' Letters .Patent No. 86,203, dated Jaaadry 26, 1869.

Be it known that we, Moses BALEs and WILLIAM P. BALES, both of London, Madison county, Ohio, have invented certain'new and useful Improvements in Gorn- Harvesters; and we hereby declare the following to he a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification. A

Oiu. invention relates =to that class of agricultural implements commonly known as corn-harvesters; and

` The first part of our improvements consists in a pecuf liarly-constructed dropping-attachment, by which the driver is enabled to deposit the several corn-stalks upon the ground as rapidly as the receptacle which is provided for them upon the machine becomes filled.

' The second part of our improvements consists of a raking-attachment,` which is operated by the driver in such almanner as to free the knives of the severed stalks, and thus .prevent them derangmg the machine.

rlhe third part of our improvements relates to a shiftable platform, which can be adj usted longitudinally of the implement, for a purpose which will he hereafter fully described, V

The fourth part of our improvements relates to the axle of the machine, which can be adjusted vertically, so as to permit of the stalks being cut at different heights above the ground.

In the accompanying drawings- Figure l is a perspective view of a corn-harvester embodying ourimprovernents, one ofthe ground-whee1s being removed, and a portion vof the drivers seat being broken away, so as to exhibit ,more clearly the operative parts ofthe machine.

Figures 2 and 3 are transverse sections, taken immediately in the rear of the axle of the machine, of which figures one shows the condition of the droppingattachment when the operatingdever O is in the position shown in iig. 1, while fig. 2 exhibits the condition of said attachment 4when the lever is elevated to the position indicatedby the dotted red lines in fig. 1.

A'represents the axle ofthe machine, which is supported upon the ground-wheels B, and said axle can be adj usted to the desired height by the following devices:

Projecting downwardly from each end of the axle, are hangers (l, which are provided with longitudinal grooves c, whose sidesare undercut, as shown, and these grooves are traversed by blocks D, fromwhich thespindles E of the axle project. f

The blocks D are slotted at d, and they are secured at any desired position by the set-screws e, which engage with the hangers C.

Thisiadjusting-device npermits of the machine being either elevated or depressed, in lorder that the cornstalks may be severed at a greater or less height from the ground. l

Attached to the axle A are twg dividers or gatherers, E F, whose rear ends are united by a cross-beam, G,'while their front ends are furnished with fingers ff', which serve to elevate any leaning or prostrate corn, and restore it to a proper position to be operated on hy the knives. f

The thills or shafts H H' are connected tothe crossbeam Gr by means of the curved hars h 71", and these thills carry two outwardly-daring spreaders I I.

' Apertures J, in the thills H H', prermit of the shiftable platform K being adjusted longitudinally of the machine, by simply inserting the legs k of' said plat form in either of these apertures.

The rear end of the platform has hooks k', which vrest upon the top of the thills.

The object of this platform is to support the heads of the corn-stalks, after they have been severed by the knives, and, by rendering said platform shiftable, it can he adjusted to suit cornstalks of different lengths Projecting upwardly from the forward part of the machine is a forked rod,L, which prevents the lines or reins, by which the horse is guided, becoming entangled with the load on the implement.

The'posts m, which support the driverds seat M, afford j ournal-bearin g for a rock-shaft, N, one end of which has secured to it the lever O, with which the driver is enabled to operate both` the dropping and raking-attachment, the former of which is arranged in the following manner:

` The rock-shaft N has secured, near its mid-length, an arm, P, whose free end has an eye, p, with which are engaged two bars, R R', that are bent in the manner shown in the diiferent drawings.

These bars R Rare adapted to play freely within' the staples or guidesQ, and when the arm P is depressed, as shown in figs'. l and 2, the hooked extremities fr -r ,of said bars serve to support the buts of the corn-stalks, but, as soon as the said arm P is elevated, therods R R assume the position represented in g. 3, and, in so doing, deposit the severed stalks upon the ground.

Itis to be understood that this elevation and de pression of the arm P is effected by the driver operating the lever 0 whenever the receptacle becomes filled with' stalks, iit being understood that said receptacle is formed by the spreaders I I', shiftable platform K, and hooked bars R R', r fr.

S S are the knives, whose outer ends are connected to arms ys s', that arepivotedto the frame of the maf chine at T, and the inner ends of said knives, which rest upon the bars h h', are somewhat lower than the outer ends.

The knives, instead of being attached at right angles to the arms s s', are placed obliquely thereto, so that their under ends shall proj ect toward the rear of the machine, by which means said knives are caused to act witha shearing or carving-cut on the stalks.

The pvoted arms s s permit'of the knives being elevated a slight distance, as soon. as they come in con'- tact with the standing stalks, which enables the knives to act upon the stalks in the most effective manner.

The rear sides and outer ends of the knives are provided with guards, U, which prevent the stalks sliding o the knives,

The knives are freed ofthe stalks at the proper moment by means of rakes, which are arranged in the following manner:

Attached to the sides of the drivers seat are two brackets, VV', to which are. suspended, at fv lv', rods W W', whose free ends have pivoted to them tines 'w w', which are adapted to sweep the upper surface of the knives. p j

The `rods W W' are operated by links X X', which yconnect said` rods with the arm P of the rock-shaft N.

Y Y are sheet-metalscreens or fenders, which extend from ,the forward ends of the gatherers F F' to the posts mi, which support the drivers scat, and these fenders not only incline the' stalks in a'proper manner 'for the knives to act on them, but they also prevent the heads of the ,stalks falling over and becoming entangled with the operating-parts of the implement.

Z 'is a support for the drivex"s 'feet.

This implement is placed in the eld in such a man# neras to compel the horse to walk between two rows of standing corn, and, as' the, machine is drawn forward, the stalks are brought between the dividers F F', sprcaders I I', and fenders Y. Y', by which means the stalks `are inclined in theproper'manner for the knives S S to operate upon them, and, as soon as the stalks are severed, they fall over into the receptacle II',K, RR,1/r'.

When the receptacle has been iilled, they driver elevates the lever` O to the position indicated by the dotted red lines in g. 1, which act not only empties the receptacle, by bringing the rods R It' to the position shown in iig. 3, but it also causes the tines w '1.0' to sweep the knives, and thereby rake off the buts of the stalks. y

As soon as the receptacle has been thus' emptied, a reverse movement of the lever O restores the dropping' and raking-attachments to their original positions.

The' dropping and raking-attachments need not be used together, unless desired, as the machine willvoperate very well with the raking-attachment omitted;l

Ve claim herein as new, and of our invention- 1. 'lhe dropping-attachmentto a corn-harvester, consisting of the rock-shaft N lever 0, armP jp, curved bars It It', T' fr', and guides Q, the whole being -combined to operate substantially as herein described and set forth.

2. The combination, substantially as described, of the rock-shaft N, leverO, arm P p, vibrating rods W W', pivoted tines w '10', and links X X', for the purpose specified. v f 3. The-provision, in acorn-harvester, of the shiftable platform K, *k 1c', which is adapted to be adjusted longitudinally of the implement, for the object described. v f I 4. .Vliel are aware that devices have been used for regulating and adjusting the axles of vehicles of different kiuds to any desired height, and therefore do not claim this as part of our invention; but we do claim the combination of the standard C, block I), containing the spindleE, the groove c, the lplate d, and setscrew e, when constructed and arranged substantially in the manner and for the purposes set forth;

5. The y.combination of the dropping-attachment N O, P p, RR', r fr', Q, and raking-attachment W W', w w', X X', for the purpose explained.

In testimony of which invention, we hereunto set our hands.

MOSES BALES. WILLIAM P. BALES.

Witnesses:

GEO. H. KNIGHT, J AMES H. LAYMAN. 

